Here at 666 we know Canberra is a laid back town - until you start talking about parking in the Parliamentary Triangle.

Then Canberrans turn wild.

Every one of the thousands of people working within the boundaries of the Parliamentary Triangle takes a different route into work every day, and many feel locked in by the lack of shops and amenities. But what is the best way to travel there?

It might seem obvious that driving a car would be the fastest way to travel in this car-friendly city, but is it the best way, particularly when you have to consider parking, traffic, walking in the rain etc etc?

Three 666 staffers decided to put this to the test.

Avid cyclist Jim Trail was determined to prove cycling his bike was way faster than James Vyver driving a car and Kate Corbett's bus antics.

The rules

But 666 Mornings presenter Genevieve Jacobs put a spanner in the works, by including a COMB in her list of errands for the trio.

So Genevieve's rules reigned and the trio had to head to Questacon from the ABC Studios in Dickson, run a couple of errands - buying a postage stamp and a comb - then take a photo of themselves back at Questacon.

All three completed the tasks - but in quite different times and methods.

It took Jim on his bike a total of 45 minutes, James took 54 minutes and Kate finished up 14 minutes after James.

Here's Jim's account:

I've been convinced that cycling is the most efficient way to get around central Canberra for some time now. I travel the flat few kilometres from work to home on a daily basis - it's such an easy ride that I just wear work clothes and rainproofs if it's wet or cold.

This challenge was a little different, not least because the weather wasn't perfect. Fortunately it held off but, had it rained, I was prepared and of course I would have taken shelter in very heavy weather.

From the ABC Studios in Dickson, Northbourne Avenue is the most direct route through Civic on a bike, not just because it's a straight line with bike lanes all the way, but because anything else is quite convoluted.

Once in the Parliamentary Triangle, the roads and shared paths are easy to navigate and the cycle path to Kingston was a very easy choice, being nearly as direct as the road.

Parking is, of course, where bikes come to the fore. A park outside the Kingston Post Office was easy, as it was just up the road at the supermarket, and I was able to lock my bike up outside Questacon with ease.

Pros: Cycling is a lovely way to include some exercise in your daily life

Cons: It is annoying having to juggle a change of clothes, but even with time for a shower it was the quickest of the three.

The key part of the challenge was running an errand from a workplace in the Parliamentary Triangle, and in my case it took me 23 minutes. 7:51 minutes to ride from Questacon to Kingston - (3.0km, avg speed 21km/h). Then 7 minutes to buy a stamp at the post office and a comb at the supermarket and 8:23 minutes to ride back to Questacon and lock my bike up. (3.3km, avg 23km/h)

And for the record, ABC Northbourne to Questacon, 5.0km in 12 minutes at 24.8km/h

The James journey

Quietly confident when I started, I was soon given a sobering lesson about the usefulness of the car in the Parliamentary Triangle!

From the ABC I decided to avoid the tail end of the Northbourne Avenue rush hour, choosing instead the Limestone/Defence/Kings Ave Route to the triangle. Not the most direct route, but I didn't hit much traffic on the way.

Once in the triangle I made a quick stop at the DFAT building to show I'd been in the Parliamentary Triangle, then on to Manuka for the post office and comb. Luckily, I found a parking spot immediately I arrived and dashed in to the post office and the across the road to a pharmacy for the comb.

After that it was a quick run back to the triangle where I found two spots outside Old Parliament House straight away! Having got over my surprise, I sprinted over the lawns to Questacon.

Pros: I was warm, dry and not out of breath (much), also the parking was free and close to where I needed it.

Cons: way slower and at the mercy of traffic lights and parking availability.

I needed a total of 37 minutes to run the errands Genevieve had set us.

It took me 28 minutes to go from Kings Ave to Manuka, park, then buy the comb and stamps. 4.7kms with an average speed of 10kmh (don't forget this includes jogging around the shops!) and nine minutes to get from Manuka to Questacon, including parking and a short jog! Average speed was 23kmh over 3.5kms

Kate's experiences:

I was convinced from the beginning that I had drawn the short straw with the bus challenge, but was still ready to make it hard for James or Jim to win.

The wet, cold day made the bus a more attractive option than riding a bike, but I knew I would have to spend more time in the elements than the car-driving James.

Keeping that in mind I was well prepared, with a beanie, scarf, gloves, big leather coat, umbrella, a book to read, a smart phone to keep me connected, and a bit of food (chocolate) just in case I became stranded somewhere.

It was all fine though and shortly after I set off on my journey, the rain subsided and the journey was quite pleasant.

I bumped into a friend on a bus, met a lovely young mum outside Questacon and was helped numerous times by friendly ACTION bus drivers.

All up, I caught six buses, and became well acquainted with the Civic bus interchange, transferring there three times. I had decided to return to Civic for the comb and postage stamp, as I figured out it was the easiest place to access for shops.

I spent $7.80 altogether - $4.20 on the bus ticket (which I was able to use for all six buses because I caught them within a 90 minute period), $3.00 on a packet of combs and $0.60 on the postage stamp.

I must say I was amazed to find that there were no buses that travelled straight down Northbourne Avenue and over Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. I had to change at Civic, unless I wanted to go on an epic bus journey around the suburbs of Canberra.

The journey took me one hour and eight minutes all up - to get from the ABC studios in Dickson, down Northbourne Avenue to Questacon (via Civic), back to Civic for the goodies and then to Questacon again.

For the record, it took me 23 minutes go from Questacon to Civic and back, buying the comb and postage stamps along the way.

Pros: Meeting friendly people on buses

Cons: Waiting for buses in the cold

So who won?

In terms of the overall journey from the ABC to the Parliamentary Triangle, then simultating a lunchtime errand from Questacon, the bike was fastest, followed by the car and in last place the bus trip.

But on examination of just the out and back errand from Questacon to buy a stamp and a comb, we were surprised to find that the bus trip to civic and the bike trip to Kingston recorded very similar times, with the car in third place. In all instances, it was clear that the trips we made were achievable within the hour.

Of course, your experience might vary depending on fitness, weather, bus timetables and day to day parking challenges.